Kelly Mann, Principal

        Michelle Collins, Assistant Principal

                                             __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EDGEWOOD STEAM ACADEMY

241 Maple Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218  ∙  412-731-2238 ∙ Fax 412-731-2256  

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy

2024/2025

Purpose

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy recognizes that academic growth for each child is the joint responsibility of the school and the home.  A strong partnership between the school and families is necessary to ensure academic improvement and that the interests of all parties are served.  

Definition

Parent and Family (Family Member) - these terms are used interchangeably and shall include caregivers, a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, a person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare, or a legally appointed Education Decision Maker of a child participating in a Title I program.

Accessibility 

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy shall provide communications, information and school reports to parents and family members who are migrants or who have limited English proficiency, a disability, limited literacy, or racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, in a language they can understand.

Guidelines

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy shall hold an annual meeting of parents and family members in September to explain the goals and purposes of Title I programs and to inform them of their right to be involved. Parents and family members shall be given the opportunity to participate in the design, development, operation and evaluation of the program. Parents and family members shall be encouraged to participate in planning activities, to offer suggestions, and to ask questions regarding policies and programs.

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy shall offer a flexible number of meetings which shall be held at various times of the morning and evening, utilizing Title I funds as necessary to enable parent and family member attendance at meetings through payment of transportation, child care costs or home visits.  Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy shall involve parents and family members in an organized, ongoing and timely way, in the planning, review and improvement of Title I programs, the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy and the joint development of the Title I Plan.  At these meetings, parents and family members shall be provided:

•        Timely information about programs provided under Title I.

•        Description and explanation of the curriculum in use, the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of the academic standards.

•        Opportunities to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children.

To ensure the continuous engagement of parents and family members in the joint development of the Title I Plan and with the school support and improvement process, Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy shall:

•        Establish meaningful, ongoing two-way communication between the school, staff and parents and family members.

•        Communicate with parents and family members about the plan and seek their input and participation through the use of newsletters, the school website, email, telephone, parent and teacher conferences, and home visits if needed.

•        Train school personnel on how to collaborate effectively with parents and family members with diverse backgrounds that may impede their participation, such as limited literacy or language difficulty.

•        Post school performance data on the school's website.

•        Distribute and discuss the School-Parent and Family Compact.

•        Host various parent and family nights each quarter of the school year.

•        Establish and support active and engaged Title I parent and family advisory councils. The council will include a majority of parents and family members of students participating in Title I programs, as well as the building principal, teachers or other appropriate staff, students and community members. The purpose of the council shall be to focus on improved student achievement, effective classroom teaching, parent/family/community engagement in the educational process, and to facilitate communications and support.

•        Actively recruit parents and family members to participate in school review and improvement planning.

•        Invite participation of parents and family members at the regular comprehensive planning committee meetings, Title I budget meetings and school improvement plan meetings to obtain input and propose school improvement initiatives.

Building Capacity for Parent and Family Engagement

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy, in collaboration with the district, shall provide the coordination, technical assistance, and other support necessary to assist and build the capacity of all participating parties in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve academic achievement and school performance through:

•           Providing assistance to parents and family members in understanding such topics as the academic standards, state and local academic assessments, the requirements of parent and family involvement, how to monitor a child's progress and work with teachers to improve the achievement of their children.

•           Providing material and training to help parents and family members work with their children to improve academic achievement and to foster parent and family engagement, such as:

a.         Scheduling trainings in different locations on a variety of topics including how to

support their child in school, literacy, school safety, cultural diversity and conflict resolution; digital literacy, including copyright, reliable searches, and research.

b.         Providing information, resources and materials in a user friendly format.

c.         Providing, as requested by a parent or family member, other reasonable support for         parent and family engagement activities.

d.         Training on how to use the Parent Portal as a tool to monitor grades and achievement.

•           Educating teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, principals and other school leaders and staff, with the assistance of parents and family members, on the value and usefulness of contributions of parents and family members and in how to reach out to, communicate with, and work with them as equal partners, implement and coordinate parent and family programs, and build ties between parents and family members and the school.

Annual Parent and Family Engagement Policy Evaluation

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy will conduct, with meaningful participation of parents and family members, an annual evaluation of the content and effectiveness of this policy in improving the academic quality of the school. The evaluation shall identify:

•           Barriers to parent and family member participation, with particular attention to those who are migrants, are economically disadvantaged, have a disability, have limited English proficiency, have limited literacy, or are of any racial or ethnic minority.

•           The needs of parents and family members to assist with the learning of their children, including engaging with school personnel and teachers.

•           The school shall use the findings of the annual evaluation to design evidence-based strategies for more effective parent and family engagement, and to revise, if necessary, the school’s Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy.

School-Parent and Family Compact

Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy shall jointly develop with parents and family members a School-Parent and Family Compact outlining the manner in which parents and family members, the entire school staff and students will share responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents and family members will build and develop partnerships to help children achieve the state’s academic standards. The compact shall:

•           Describe the school's responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment, enabling students in Title I programs to meet the academic standards.

•           Describe the ways in which parents and family members will be responsible for supporting their child's learning and participating, as appropriate, in decisions related to their child's education and positive use of extracurricular time.

•           Address the importance of ongoing two-way, meaningful communication between parents/family members and teachers through annual parent-teacher conferences, frequent reports to parents and family members on their child's progress, reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child's class, and observation of classroom activities.

•           Describe the ways in which students will be responsible for their participation in class activities, completion of work, and behavior choices.

Documentation of Parent and Family Engagement Practices

Documentation to track the implementation of this policy is an essential part of compliance and may include, but not be limited to, sign-in sheets at workshops, meetings and conferences; schedules, training and informational materials; communication and brochures; meeting agendas and notes.